e i d o l o n
by HawkofLight
Summary: Phantom, ideal, illusion, deity. Which meaning will Sasuke represent for Hinata? Dark overtones and vague AU. *Complete*
1. whisper

_Disclaimer- This story is a fanfiction inspired by the Naruto series, created by Masashi Kishimoto. I hold no claim over anything besides this story._

* * *

**Eidolon**-  
** 1**. a phantom; apparition; wraith; ghost  
** 2**. an ideal; deity 

Chapter 1/6- _whisper_

Whispers of insanity creeped from the dark corners, seeming as if to jump out at any moment. I walked through the halls cautiously, as if expecting a madman to come out from those shadows any minute and attack me. I was being silly, but that feeling of anxiousness lingered no matter how hard I tried to stamp it down. Fortunately though, I finally arrived at the designated room. The patient that was inside was a figurative ghost; no connections and no family that was known of. The only name he gave us was what the doctors had come to address him by - Sasuke.

Sasuke had been found wandering around the outskirts of the village. The Anbu had discovered him, babbling something incoherently about a devil. Of course, they dropped him here where he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic.

He had no information on him - nothing that told us about his real identity. When asked about his family he would go once again into his talk about the impossible.

I entered his room quietly. He was sitting on the bed with his knees bent upwards, his head against the wall staring blankly at the opposite end of the room. He was dressed in the dark grey garments that the hospital provided for him.

"How are you feeling today, Sasuke-san?"

He said nothing. There were no gestures made for acknowledgement, much less welcome.

I took a seat at a wooden chair next to the bed. It was a bit uncomfortable settling myself down, but I comforted myself that it had more to do with the hard seat beneath me rather than the mysterious patient before me. After a long moment of silence, he raises his voice.

"And just how would you feel if you had a devil inside of you?"

He turned around, his glare unsettling me for a bit until I managed to regain my composure.

"Is this devil telling you to do things Sasuke-san?" My voice was calm, as if what I was asking was an everyday normal occurrence.

His eyes widened even more than it already had; and his tone became angrier. He began with his teeth clenched.

"No one is telling me what to do and I'm not hearing voices. I'm saying that he is in me; I am the devil!"

In some cases, patients would get physically violent, so part of my mind was always keeping track of where the door was. I was about ready to run for it and call for the security. I decided not to be hasty though, and tried my hand at calming him down.

"Don't you mean you have a dark side, Sasuke-san? It's in all of us so don't feel as if you're alone.…"

I tried hard to hide the distress in my voice, hoping it was soothing. He looked away and closed his eyes. He forcefully took a deep breath in frustration and started reciting a mantra. Don't ask me which, since I wouldn't know. But as he was doing this, he was rocking to and fro on-top of the bed.

After a few more minutes of listening to him repeat the same words over and over again, I started to get up and headed for the door. Our sessions usually ended early and this day wouldn't be any different. I was about to open the door when Sasuke called out from behind.

"What's your name?"

I looked back startled for a bit. I didn't think he was really going to talk anymore that day with me.

"Didn't you hear me say it before in our other meeting, Sasuke-san? I am Dr. Hyuuga."

He looked up at me with dark haunted eyes.

He gave a slight mirthless scoff. "I meant your actual name," he clarified. "What do your friends and family call you?"

I hesitated for a brief second then smiled, my eyes meeting his.

"Hinata. They call me Hinata." It was still difficult for me to become close to people due to my own past and childhood, but I tried to make an effort as soon as I became independent and started working at the hospital. Still though, despite my profession, I found it a bit awkward when patients wanted to find out personal details about myself.

The turn of my head caught his eye. He considered me, staring for a moment.

"You…remind me of my mother a bit." Then he shook his head as if to clear it. "Nevermind."

I walked back towards the chair and sat back down, clasping my hands.

"No, it's quite fine to say that! I'm very surprised to hear about that however, Sasuke-san. This is the first time you've talked about your family in our sessions. Please tell me more about her. Do you know where she is now?"

There was a pause.

"She's dead," he whispered this as he turned away from me again. "Listen, Doctor, I know you're only trying to help but it won't do any good. You can't help me. No one can. It would be better if you just left me alone."

He resumed looking at the opposite wall once more, showing his back to me.

"Just leave me alone."


	2. dark temptations

**Eidolon**-  
**1**. a phantom; apparition; wraith; ghost  
**2**. an ideal; deity

Chapter 2/6- _dark temptations_

I sat there on the edge of the bed, staring outside. It was already midnight and the hospital orderlies had already locked all the doors to the rooms. I watched through the window as the drops of rain pelted its glass - as well as the windscreen and reinforced titanium bars in front of it.

It was strange watching the world outside through the shiny and sturdy cylinders that intersected with at a right angle with it - separating the view into divided small sections. But a non-obstructed open view was a small price to pay for reclaiming my sanity.

Not that I was really insane - maybe temporarily, but not so much. I just use it as an excuse to stay here. I know it would be too dangerous if I made my home outside. The bars help ease my mind - making me feel as if I was trapped here inside this hospital, this room. But I knew deep down that it would never in a thousand years hold me back. It was nothing more than a symbol.

I thought back during that time when my own brother both destroyed and remade me. I was so confused back then, so full of anger, so full of rage, so full pain ,- pain of having been betrayed by the only family I had left, the one I had loved and trusted above all. Re-baptized in his own twisted image, he remade me into a mere wraith of vengeance, living only as the representation of a meaningless dead dream and burning ambition.

Later on, seeking out Orochimaru and being consumed by his curse, it wasn't what you would call being possessed; no, that devil did not take possession of me. The actions I took were by my own will and volition; it wasn't his life force that controlled me. Of course, that wasn't what I had thought back then. I was too confused, too panic-stricken when his curse took over me for that last time. When I arrived here, exhausted from ordeals and travel and all that had just happened, I couldn't think clearly. It was too unbelievable even for myself to consider. When the ANBU found me and questioned me. I couldn't answer anything back then. I was too overwhelmed, too shattered to say anything except make half-coherent mutterings about what happened to me. They thought I was crazy, of course, and placed me here.

That turned out to be an unexpected blessing. The time spent here gave me the chance to collect my thoughts and think over the past in order so that I could better make sense out of everything.

Before my family died, I thought I had a grasp of what evil was. However I know now that my old naive view of the world didn't square with the bitter reality. What I had once confused for evil was nothing more than just mere agents of nature, sent to restore some primordial balance. Things that were simply beyond moral standings of right and wrong, good and evil. They just did what they were supposed to do. No, the realization of true evil was shown to me through snapshots of still living corpses, broken skies and bloated red moons. Hatred; that was what gave my brother meaning – that familiar lust for power. A sort of morbid satisfaction in the works of his own cruelty.

That was what drove him, and eventually, that was what drove me as well. This cursed blood of mine was the symbolization of a pact with an even greater primordial evil than Orochimaru himself. And in the end, that was the reason why he fell before me. The power he had was taken for my own. The answer lied within me as it always had. I just realized it at the end.

I had power now - true power. I felt it within me, growing stronger each passing day. I knew that, if I wanted to, I could slaughter every living being here in this hospital - or simply just tear open the bars and escape. It was a power that tempted me constantly; I was an Uchiha in blood, after all, so why deny this part of me? I knew I had the same capacity for evil as my brother. I wanted that power, because in a way, my brother was part of me, and in a way Orochimaru was now part of me as well. I could show them my worth. It would only be natural for me to take up that path and claim my destiny. But I resolve not to. Not only for just my sake, but also for the ones around around me. For the sake of forgotten dead dreams and memories of love. My respected father. My dear mother. However sometimes want is much more powerful than need.

I took one last glance at the drenched village below then closed my eyes and sat crossed-legged at the center of the bed. I had formed a habit of performing meditative exercises after I arrived here, to take better control of the urges within me. From outside the halls I could hear shrieks of anxiety and fear from the other patients. At first the constant screaming and their pleadings of sanity distracted me. But as time passed, I used this to make myself stronger and focused more on concentrating.

…

Oh that sweet temptation sings in my blood.


	3. pulse

**Eidolon**-  
**1**. a phantom; apparition; wraith; ghost  
**2**. an ideal; deity

Chapter 3/6- _pulse_

_Pulse_

_pulsepulsepulsepulse_   
The electricity –

_pulsepulse_

-that was what one felt in the air whenever the sun began to set in the city. At least that's what I felt every time I walked along the crowded sidewalks during that part of the day. The village prepared itself for the coming darkness as the nocturnal creatures sat up on their beds, readying themselves for the night's activities. 

It was something that has never affected me. The night didn't concern me at all - not its secrets or its cloaked sins. These were things that have always been part of reality, and always will continue on being so. It was better to just shut them out and get on with the drudgeries of life. One of my fellow co-workers had come to call me as a schizoid. At times I begin to believe it myself.

_ pulse_

I felt as if I should be one of the patients rather than the doctors.

Still, here I was, looking out into that village sunset in the room of one of my patients. That electricity-_pulse_- could never enter into these grounds, and I watched it curiously from a distance.

I turned to Sasuke who had his eyes on the setting sun as well. "What are you thinking, Sasuke-san?"

It took some time 'til he finally answered, as if he was thinking of what to say. "That temple…"

I looked out into the window again. There was a shrine in the distance – the _torii_—gates--reflecting a brilliant shade of burgundy under the setting sun. Shrines were not uncommon in the large village of Konoha since many people used them to pay their respects to the kami of the village—though more importantly to wish themselves prosperity and pray for their deceased friends, relatives, and ancestors. However it was one of only two remaining _jingu-ji_, meaning that the structure also housed a temple inside of it. The construction of the last _jingu-ji_ ended close after the official founding of the village, approximately sixty years ago. "What about it, Sasuke-san?"

"It's been a long time since I've been to one to pay my respects." He said quietly.

"Are you religious?" I asked.

A short pause as he considered the question.

"…No," he began to shake his head as if what laid inside pained him. "I…used to go every year to light incense after my family died. But it's been a while since I was gone."

I looked at him throughout the whole time, trying to glean buried clues as to what type of person the man that sat before me used to be. And perhaps, what he may really be underneath all the paranoia and troubled turmoil that I sensed within him.

"Do you want to go to the temple, Sasuke-san?"

"I don't know if I can." He paused, contemplating his choice of words. "I might not be able to anymore."

"Maybe you should go. You'll see that it won't have any effect on you and you're not a devil after all."

"Oh really? So would you take that risk?" He questioned suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Would you touch fire, or drink acid if you've never had previous experience with either--," he expounded further, "yet someone told you to try it and promised you that it won't hurt you? Would you do it?"

"I… don't know," It was an unusual question, so I was not prepared to suddenly answer. I had to think about it. "Well, I guess I would in that case. But why would anyone tell me to do something like that?"

"You mean why would people want to fool you?"

I smiled lightly at that. "There's reality, and then there's your idea of reality."

"Right. But why would you believe what anyone tells you if what they're telling you is different from what you know as the truth?"

"Because that's arrogance; how can you claim to be right all the time, and know more than the other person?"

"It goes both ways." He said under his breath and then raised his voice. "So you believe what everyone says? Just because you think you don't know anything?"

I paused, somehow feeling as if I was about to walk into a trap. "Hmm…well I guess it depends if you have trust in the person who's saying it to you."

"For example?"

"Like people who care about you - your friends, your family…"

"No," he quietly interrupted, "you can't even trust them."

I hesitated for a second. "Tell me about your family Sasuke-san. You seem to carry some resentment...or perhaps some sort of anxiety towards their memory."

He shook his head. "There's nothing to tell."

"What about your mother; you mentioned before that she died." I paused for a brief moment to carefully consider my choice of words on a potentially sensitive subject. "How did she die? Maybe this is the reason that you've built this fantasy world around yourself."

He smirked at that. "Fantasy world, huh?"

"…This guilt driven image that you have of yourself." I continued. "I mean, the devil, Sasuke!" I could not help be bothered to include the honorific to his name due to my agitation. "I What could you have done that was so horrible that you would think of yourself as this devil?"

He sat there as if contemplating his words. "My family was killed by a devil called 'brother'. I later joined up with another devil in order to exact revenge. Does that explain things adequately? But that's not where things end."

As he continued on with his tale, my heart sank. I think it would have been better if he was only mocking me, but I knew that he believed every word of what he told me. And my pride in the belief that I had made progress and actually reached him…was crushed. It was then that I noticed something on the floor, hidden close beside one of the bed's leg posts..

I looked up into his dark eyes. "Sasuke, have you been taking your medication?"

He became silent and looked at the spot where I had been staring earlier. He didn't say anything.

"Those will help keep down the delusion and hallucinations Sasuke," I pleaded.

He tiredly shut his eyes and talked slowly, emphasizing every word. "I don't want anything to dilute my mind."

"They'll help you get better Sasuke. You have to take them." I slowly reached out and touched his forearm.

He pushed it away. "Just go."

I stood up slowly, turned, and left the room. I knew I needed to get some people to help secure him while I prepared a shot for him.


	4. wings

**Eidolon**-  
** 1**. a phantom; apparition; wraith; ghost  
** 2**. an ideal; deity 

Chapter 4/6- _wings_

Outside, the tempest gave off no hints of remission as the thunder grew louder and more prevalent. I tore at the remains of my tattered clothing. They had been partially ripped as I struggled to keep from being injected with the mind-altering medication. The urge to transform was so strong back then, but I knew I had to control myself. It took every ounce of will power that I had possessed to keep the burning black marks from spreading.

It left me feeling tainted. I wanted to be cleansed, to be purified. The harsh rain pouring outside called to my very blood, deep within me. I had a strong desire to break through the walls and bathe in that water - to wash away all the impurities inside of me.

Lying there naked, my head faced down against the floors, I could barely keep from crying out as pain surged like molten lava rushing through my veins, flooding through my entire body. A crimson hue rose up from beneath my skin, then gradually beginning to metamorph into a darker tint. My chest and extremities burned as I struggled desperately to hold back my whimpers of pain. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer as I felt my back being ripped open from the inside out. Something soft and wet tickled its way through the two gaping wounds. I opened my eyes- eyes that were no longer entirely my own- and saw blood trailing into large puddles on the floor.

The agony continued on until I could feel the two wings protruding from behind my back fully settle themselves. They had become a part of me, very much so like my arms or my legs. I had muscles there that helped move it in whatever position it would allow. Experimentally, I flexed the muscles with a wince, trying to ignore the unpleasant sensations still reverberating throughout both my body and conciousnessness. Despite experiencing these involuntary relapses ever since leaving Orochimaru, the whole experience still felt foreign to me. I needed to get this into control-

A light broke through the darkness as the door opened. The light from the colorless, antisceptic hallways hit my eyes and I struggled to see who had just come in - it was Hinata. She had both hands over her mouth from shock. I must have been quite an unusual sight, naked and stained in fresh dark blood that spread throughout the floor. A tinge of iron coated the atmosphere. The two demonic wings were the only means I had of keeping myself decent. "Oh my- Sasuke!" she had exclaimed in a hushed disbelief. Opaque eyes stared at me in abject horror.

Thunder sounded again, accompanying the sound of the rain as it poured all over the village. I couldn't stand it anymore--just couldn't take it _being here_ any longer- and I rushed towards the reinforced windows and broke into them - sending shards of glass and rusted metal crashing to the streets below.

My wings pushed hard into the cold black air to keep me in flight. I felt more than saw the cold raindrops pelt my skin like little harmless daggers. The cold burned and the blood that clung to my skin became washed away. I almost expect my wings to melt and let me drop to the ground, but it didn't. Instead, I flew higher - golden eyes seeing blindly into the darkness.


	5. hallowed grounds

**Eidolon**-  
**1**. a phantom; apparition; wraith; ghost  
**2**. an ideal; deity

Chapter 5/6- _hallowed grounds  
_

I looked at my pale reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror. A pair of dull opaque eyes stared back at me. It didn't help that I had very little sleep since the night I last saw Sasuke. Or at least, I think it was Sasuke.

Shifting my eyes, I looked up into the window outside. It was bright out. I never liked the sunshine. There was nothing in the world that deserved to be shown in full light. Everything is ugly when it's exposed to its bare core. 

A bouquet of dead roses appeared in the corner of my eye. It was in the window. I stood up and bent my head down to take in its fragrance - my shoulder length blue-black hair spilling all around it. I breathed in its scent - the smell of dying and decay. I reached to feel its dry rough texture, but the petals crumbled slightly before I had the chance to completely examine its feel against my skin.

With a sigh, I resumed my gloomy introspection.

To me the most beautiful days were the dark ones, those filled with tempests. When the clouds would cover up the sky in faded grey and everyone was subject to judgment from the heavens. The clouds would rush up like the coming gods heralding in a new era. Gods of an apocalypse.

Fallen gods with dark wings that would fly up and be swallowed by the heavens, disappearing for eternity.

My thoughts were on Sasuke, and of where he was now. It had been nearly a week and there was still no hint of where he was. The question of where his body is located still remains unsolved, however I knew that no one besides myself actually believed that he survived that fall. The very thought is laughable even to consider, yet I knew what I saw. He didn't plummet to the ground; he flew. But I was not about to tell that to the authorities, nor to anyone else - especially the hospital's committee. They all thought that I was unstable enough as it is. I don't even think some of them believe that I'm competent enough to be a doctor due to my sometimes anxious tendencies. No, informing them right now would not be a wise idea, especially since I still had my own answers to find out.

I stepped out of the restroom, and settled onto the ground, setting up the _futon_. As I layed myself down, I immediately fell into sleep. The gong of the distant temple's bells woke me up to a start. I looked out at the windows and could see the sun was already beginning to set. It hid behind one of the distant mountain ranges, holding close to the horizon. It was the same temple that Sasuke and I had been talking about earlier.

Being raised as the future heiress to a well-established and respected clan such as the Hyuuga had me accustomed to observing and being involved in following ceremonial procedure in all social and private functions. My father was naturally a strict traditionalist, and he bored into my head since I was a child the meaning of being a Hyuuga, and all the entailments that came with it. This included ceremonial natures of the religious kind, particularly in regards to honoring dead relatives, ancestors, and kami. Following the instructions of ceremony, however, didn't necessarily prepare you for seeing the supernatural in front of your very eyes. That last encounter with Sasuke made me question what I believed in. After all, seeing someone just suddenly sprout wings right in front of you isn't a common occurence. Or maybe that was all just some twisted hallucination of the mind. I rubbed my temples tiredly. Perhaps I was going crazy after all. Her father would-

A pounding headache suddenly made me wince. I had been getting such headaches on a frequent basis recently, though I was mystified as to the cause. A likely cause was the stress of the work. Whatever it was, I decided it would do me some good if I headed to the sound of the bells, and perhaps get my mind to forget the pain. So I put on some clothes and a long sweater; I really didn't mind if it wasn't that cold out, they were the only thing that I felt truly comfortable in.

It was one of the few times that my skin soaked in the glow of the sunset. I walked the many long blocks from my apartment building to the grounds of the encompassing shrine. In front of me, the red over-arching _torii_ reflected the last dying rays of the sun. Past the gateway revealed an ascending multi-storied well-kept dirt path. Going up the steps, I purified myself after stopping at the font and basin by washing my hands and mouth. I continued on my path after finishing.

After advancing for quite a moment, I finally stopped by the temple-the _jinguu-ji_ more precisely- at which I had heard the bells ringing. It was hardly the only building in the area, since on both sides of me various small structures lay for a ceremonial purpose. However the temple in front of me caught my eye, though I do not recall why. The place seemed empty. There was no one around, not even a priest or the usual temple worksman who took care of the grounds.

I really didn't know what I expected to find here. I was pretty much dawdling at that point, looking for something by which I was beginning to believe that wasn't there, when suddenly I glimpsed something moving from the corner of my eye. It was from the corridor near the back of the altar. It could have been nothing, but I decided to investigate it anyway. I followed the hallway through until I saw a glimpse of a hooded figure. As I got nearer, it walked faster. Then finally it ran. I hesitated for a moment, then ran after it.

Our footsteps echoed across the empty hall. As I chased after the figure, I considered why I was going after it. I certainly couldn't think of any reason other than it ran from me, so there must have been a reason it did. Somehow however, I knew I would find the answer. We went down a flight of stairs. The surroundings had become increasingly dark. I chased it faster until I realized we came to a dead halt. Before us was another altar. The temple had one below incase the top floor became too crowded, resembling the tradionalist pagoda design that was more prevalent in the older sections of the village.

It was dusty; I could tell that it hadn't been used very often. It was not as dark because there was a light coming from the windows on the top that were just above ground. The hooded figure slowly turned around. I could see his face being lighted just from under the sun; it was Sasuke.

I spluttered in surprise, "S-Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

He hadn't taken his hood off still, and he answered quietly and deliberately like he always did, "I wanted to see if I was still capable of it."

I really couldn't think of a response, so I brought up the first thing that came to mind. "I've never seen those clothes on you before."

"…I got it in a clothes line. It was on a hanger drying out. I didn't want to steal from anyone but I had to." He gestured to the clothes with a shrug.

"What was everything about…? Sasuke, please, why did you run away from me?"

There was a momentary pause as I struggled to gain my bearings and try to make sense out of what I had seen earlier. More than that was how hard my heart was beating at that moment. Was it fear at being close to this man? Anxiousness that I could finally have an answer to the burning questions inside of me? Could it be...?

Sasuke's eyes were measuring as he answered finally in a quiet voice, "I didn't think you'd want to see me again after you saw what I really am."

I took a deep breath. "I don't know what you are Sasuke, but... one thing I _do_ know is that you are not evil."

"And just how would you know that?"

"Because evil is something you do, not what you are." I paused. "And so far, you haven't done anything evil."

His lips twitched faintly in what seemed to be amusement as he pulled his hood off and gestured towards himself, "I stole these clothes."

The tension was broken in that instant. I started laughing, bringing an arm up to cover my mouth in slight embarrassment. That didn't stop the mirth still shining from my eyes, nor did it stop the twitch of Sasuke's lips. He _was_ amused after all. I coughed. "Why don't you come back to the clinic with me?"

He shook his head immediately, face set back in an expressionless mask. "No. Too many questions would be asked and I'm not prepared to deal with that right now."

I knew he was right. "Well...m-maybe you could come with me to my apartment then? You'll be fine there."

He fell silent for a moment, staring at me. I was surprised that I no longer felt uncomfortable under that steady gaze, and was able to look back calmly. I believed something had changed during the course of our interaction. Something indefinable. Perhaps even irrevocable. I didn't know what it was- perhaps familarity- but I knew now- undeniably- that I would no longer hold discomfort over Sasuke again.

Finally, there was a nod. Acquiescence.


	6. eidolon

_It was pale, that reflection of mine in the cracked bathroom mirror..._

**Eidolon**-  
**1**. a phantom; apparition; wraith; ghost  
**2**. an ideal; deity

Chapter 6/6- _eidolon_

Drop after slow excruciating drop, the water leaked out of the rusty faucet, directly into the drain. The timed, steady drip-drip sound that was produced echoed throughout the dark empty rooms and corridors. A flash of lightning briefly lit up the outside night sky, flooding the area with harsh light.

"Hinata?" I softly called out.

She did not stir. Her opaque eyes stared dully at me as she lay unmoving in the kitchen floor. Everything was quiet, fresh crimson painted the scenery everywhere around me, streaks of it smeared onto the walls; appliances and utensils lay about scattered haphazard as if a wandering storm god had led a violent attack to the apartment.

Faintly, I could hear a children's lullaby starting somewhere. Stumbling backward awkwardly, I turned and ran down the staircase, into the village roads, desperate to escape the scene. Ominous whispers shadowed behind me.

It was empty in this part of the village. No one came around here to have fun and enjoy the night. In fact, most people tried their best to avoid it at night despite the heavy night patrols, or perhaps because of it. There were predators that could have lurked anywhere in the darkness.

An Anbu patrol passed-by slowly. I hastily made a sharp turn into a back-alley before I could be discovered.

"Sasuke…" a voice called out behind me.

I turned around, but could not see anyone there. I continued walking on the trash littered path. There was a slight chuckle to my left, I turned around again but saw no one. I started to advance again but that same chuckling voice gave a full-fledged laugh.

"Who's there?" I screamed to the shadows.

Another voice joined the laughter, and then another one joined in as well, and then another. Soon biting laughter rang all around me – mocking me. I sunk down to my knees, my hands drawn up to cover my ears. The laughter did not cease though, until one voice rang over the others.

"Come here." A voice called out.

I looked up and saw a dark figure in the shadows. Once my eyes landed upon it, the figure quickly turned to a different alleyway.

"Wait, come back here!" My voice called after it. The figure gave no indication of acknowledgement, so I pursued.

I followed it as fast as I could, but it was always ahead of me. Always seen turning to another alleyway. I did not even realize where he was going – or rather, where the figure was taking me.

A sense of déjà vu nearly staggered me as the cloaked figure turned around to face me – an emblem of the _mitsudomoe_ in stark basic relief on the wall behind. This was the same underground altar where I had lead Hinata over a week ago.

I still could not see the figure's face however. It was well hidden in the darkness. An offensive odor slithered its way into my senses; I turned around and was disgusted at what I had not noticed before. Freshly mutilated corpses were hung and quartered throughout the large room, disparate faces frozen in a rictus of agony.

I placed a hand over my nose and mouth to keep away the stench. I looked back at the figure in revulsion.

"Who are you!?" My angry shout reverberated into echoes.

The figure paused briefly before sliding back its hood, revealing a soft pale face, and a pair of opaque eyes. I could not even speak. It was Hinata, her stare as life-less as I had left it. "Don't be afraid Sasuke; I'm not going to harm you."

Her voice was dark glass ground to dust. Cool, biting, lifeless.

"How could you…Why did you bring me here?" I couldn't hide the trace of hysteria in my voice.

"To take you back…," she answered succinctly.

Confused and a bit wary, I turned around and was about to leave and get my bearings when I heard her call after me. "Will you run again, Sasuke?"

My feet halted.

"Oh yes, I do remember," she commented idly, cocking her head in what seemed to be disappointment.

"I remember too that story about what you told me about your mother, your family; how they were killed." I shut my eyes, but she continued on cruelly. "Why exactly you survived that encounter with your brother, and why you were not killed that night. Death prefers the strong. So don't worry, you won't be killed."

"What do you want then?" I questioned hoarsely, desperately trying to work some moisture into my constricted throat. The air felt oppressive, suffocating. An ache had started in the back of my eyes as I worked to massage my throbbing temples. My tongue was as dry as sandpaper.

Hearing muted shuffling to my blind-spot, I turned around to see that there were more cloaked figures surrounding me now. The laughter I had heard before started again. It was them. One by one, they slid back their dark hoods to reveal what lay underneath. Each of them wore nondescript masks which did their best to cover their features, but could not hide the pallor of death which clung to their form; faceless representations of insanity. They were now all laughing at me.

I couldn't take it anymore and began laughing along with them. The throbbing ache had now transformed into a ravenous inferno, and in my mind I could feel myself teetering between the gaping jaws of madness. I sunk back down and curled-up on the floor, laughing. I could feel my tears rush uncontrollably down my face. I brought a hand to wipe them, but I could not find my eyes. I could not find anything.

All I could feel with my hands was the marble smoothness of my skin. I no longer cared anymore.

The _mitsudomoe_ swirled, and then a soft voice.

"You."

I felt cool lips press to mine, and then finally…relief.

* * *

A woman and a man stood outside a spotless white door. A reinforced one-way glass mirror was placed in the center of it, for the purpose of people glimpsing a view inside. Both professionals wore a long white coat; the woman was older while the other was a relatively young man, though closing in on middle age.

"This patient's name is Hyuuga Hinata." The older one stated. "You'll be assigned to her."

"I haven't read her case file yet." The younger of the two warned his partner as he kept one eye on the patient as he saddled up his clip-board to his side. She was sitting, facing away from the mirror, her mouth moving almost imperceptibly under her breath. Besides that slightly irregular characteristic, she appeared normal. Dark, almost violet shaded hair framed an attractive face of a girl who seemed like she was lonely rather than someone who belonged in a mental institution.

The older woman clicked her tongue. "This one is actually a special case since her father requested our expertise and facilities. It's tragic really, did you know she was actually a doctor? At such a young age too. A quite promising one, as well, from what I heard..."

The young one was silent and continued attentively observing the woman in the empty padded room. Her nearly inaudible mutterings were now growing louder.

Finally he asked. "What happened?"

"Now _that_…" The female doctor moved to observe Hinata more closely while the latter remained oblivious to her presence and continued muttering under her breath, "…is the million dollar question indeed."

"Her co-workers had said that she had been suffering from heavy stress juggling a complicated family situation and the tribulations at work. Purportedly she took medicine for periodic severe migraines and had previous episodes of mood instability at work…"

The woman stepped back from her observation and glanced at her partner with a side-long look. "Her father disputes that version however, and is adamant that something must have happened recently to her. He says that while she was tired from work, she had recently greatly improved her temperament and was quite happy. Until she was discovered in an alleyway suffering from what seemed to be self-inflicted wounds of course."

The younger professional's eyes widened as she continued. "Of course, your job now is to do your best to make sure she gets back on track regardless of what led up to it. It may be difficult however…she makes delusional claims that a devil is after her – says that he talks to her sometimes. She even has a name for him." The older woman shook her graying head in pity.

"It's that bad, huh? What did she name him?" The younger one looked at her curiously, waiting for an answer.

"She says his name is 'Sasuke'. She's quite specific." Pursing her lips, the older woman turned away and began walking down the corridor. Her stride was brisk as her heels _clacked_ loudly. "If you want my opinion, she exhibits symptoms of some reactive psychosis, though the cause is unknown. This breakdown didn't come out of a vacuum and something forced her to create this fantasy of herself and this devil of hers…"

Her voice trailed back as she moved away to the next patient on the list. The younger man hurried after her, pausing only to secure his clip-board.

He spared a final glance to the shrinking hallway. Hinata had by now paused in her previous movements, opened her eyes and was busy inspecting the mirror, though it would not have been possible for her to see through. Even so, she had turned in their direction as if marking their departure.

Shaking his head, the younger man exited the corridor with his companion, having more eagerness, perhaps, than warranted. The place was oppressive and he could almost imagine those examples of previous doctors losing their minds in this course of work as all too easy. Later when he went back home to relaxation and a nice glass of wine, he would perhaps be able to convince himself that his last glimpse of Hinata did not entail her staring with that piercing golden gaze. It would not be acceptable for him to claim to have hallucinations so early on after all. For now though, he was content simply to leave.

Alone, the empty halls were the only audience to her lullaby.

* * *

_It is one of the most commonest of mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive_. – C.W Leadbeater

...Thank you for reading.


End file.
